10 Questions For Thu Nguyen: 2023 Worcester Candidate Profiles

WORCESTER, MA — For the first time in years, every single city council election in Worcester this year is competitive, meaning every incumbent (or multiple incumbents in the case of the at-large race) is facing a challenger in 2023.

Voters in Worcester will go to the polls Nov. 7 to elect the next slate of councilors for the coming two-year term. To help voters make their decisions, Worcester Patch sent 10 questions to each candidate running for city council this year, including both incumbents and challengers. We'll publish them ahead of Election Day as candidates return them.

At-large candidate Thu Nguyen is running for their second term in 2023. Nguyen made history in 2021 as the first nonbinary person elected to office in Massachusetts, and has remained one of the most progressive councilors, focusing on issues like how evictions are conducted and regulating crisis pregnancy centers. Here's how they answered our questionnaire:

What is the main job of a city councilor in Worcester?

City Councilors are the elected legislative branch of our government. Our main job is to listen, represent, and advocate for our residents’ visions, priorities, and needs. We should be building out policies to protect our residents and better Worcester while guiding and holding our City Manager accountable to carrying out the work and implementing the vision of the people.

The council in 2022 began a national search for a new city manager, but then stopped to hire Eric Batista. What are your thoughts on the city manager hiring process both recently and in general?

I am disappointed by the process and stripping Worcester residents and even our city manager the opportunity of a national search — even [City Manager Eric Batista] stated being open to having one. Worcester historically hasn’t done a national search for the city manager position for a while. This is a bad practice that doesn’t allow for the public to engage with the hiring process, for the councilors to get to know the candidates, and for the candidate to share their visions, values, and priorities to Worcester residents. I hope we break out of this pattern in the future so councilors can do their due diligence in hiring such an important position in our city as this is one of our main job - providing oversight of the city manager.

If you could pick three goals for Batista to work toward in the coming council term, what would they be?

1. Executing the orders requested by the council. Coming onto the council, immediately the narrative we receive from both former city manager Augustus and current city manager Batista is that there are hundreds of orders to fulfill and so be clear on what you want to prioritize. As I mentioned in my city manager evaluation, he only fulfilled roughly 25% of my orders. The standard needs to be higher and I don’t think that narrative is acceptable.
2. Investing in funds and resources to create a more equitable Worcester that represents the demographics and needs of our residents particularly focusing on housing, education and our governmental structures.
3. A proposed budget that includes increasing affordable housing, support for education and our public schools, bettering our street safety especially snow removal, a long term strategy to address homelessness and investing in neighborhood development across Worcester to enhance the quality of life for all residents.

This summer, Batista told councilors he was declining to act on an order they voted affirmatively on (crisis pregnancy centers). Do you think that’s an appropriate response, why or why not?

The city manager’s job is to execute what the council passes, and he chose not to. In my one on one meetings, he actually never told me he wasn’t going to do it but kept saying it’s going to be on the agenda. The order was put forward in July 2022 and he told me it was ready in September of that year. It shouldn’t take digging from myself and journalists for him to produce what was passed on council. Any city manager shouldn’t be able to just decide that one their own behind closed doors, they should have to report back and if there were conversations with other councilors about not wanting it — it should be transparent but the majority voted on the council floor to pass the order.

Some city council subcommittees meet infrequently, sometimes only a few times a year. Do you think subcommittees should have a fixed schedule so they have a minimum number of meetings per year?

Beyond meeting infrequently, I’d advocate for our subcommittees to be reworked and updated. There are some committees that have clearer tasks and historically wield more decision-making power than others. We need committees that engage with our communities in meaningful ways and support the administration in creating policy for our city. I think if we have subcommittees that meaningfully did important work, we wouldn’t need to force a fixed schedule, the same way when a youth is inspired and has the passion for something, they don’t necessarily need a fixed schedule but will have the motivation to be proactive.

Serious allegations about the conduct of the former police chief were recently made public in news reports. Do you think councilors should have an oversight role when serious allegations are made against city employees?

Based on the charter, we cannot dive into issues of personnel. It is important that we hold our city manager accountable in the way he manages the employees of Worcester. As city councilors, we have to shift the culture of our city and what we stand for. There should be many forms of oversight, I have been all for a civilian review board which has been advocated by many communities in the past few years.

Homelessness is on the rise in Worcester. The city has pursued a policy of sweeping camps, and we’re heading into the cold weather season with a shortage of temporary shelter beds. What should Worcester do about this issue in the short and long term?

Short term we need to provide shelter for people. At the very least, during extreme weather conditions have accessible warming and cooling centers for folks. This is a very low bar that only aims to save human lives in desperate times. We need shelters that provide wrap-around services that support people getting back on their feet with dignity. The larger issue really is not just about individuals. In a difficult economy and a housing crisis, getting back on your feet is not always possible. We have to tackle the root of the issue which is creating more affordable housing, supporting a higher minimum wage, ensuring people have access to services, healthcare etc. We need to create policies with reality in mind which is most people are one paycheck away from being homeless.

Councilors can use personal privilege to hold items before a meeting, delaying action for a week or longer. Do you think councilors should disclose why they’re holding items before doing so, why or why not?

It would be good practice and implementation of transparency and accountability for councilors to explain why they hold items. Definitely at the very least, the chair should name the person who held something which only started happening more in the last year.

There are many large, blighted parcels around Worcester, with the former Big D supermarket perhaps the most recognizable. Would you support a new tax on blighted parcels to ensure property owners don’t let them sit for long periods?

We definitely need to find solutions to these blighted parcels. If working with the owners doesn’t work and lead to a purpose of these properties, it is worth exploring ways to have them contribute to Worcester. Our residents are the ones who are losing out especially when they are vacant for so long, so if a new tax can bring back revenue that’ll support our residents it’s worth exploring.

What’s one thing you think you want to achieve as a city councilor if (re)elected?

I hope that along with my first term, I shift the culture of city council and local government. I want folks who are often marginalized and not at decision-making tables to know that we belong. I hope to continue breaking the barriers for folks as they witness someone who speaks their truth on council and continue to advocate without being "strategic" and/or compromised at the expense of vulnerable communities. Before policy and laws change, we need the cultural workers and those dedicated to mobilizing, education, and building their communities up. My greatest achievement would be to live up to the hope that my communities instilled in me and continuously lead with my integrity and moral compass.